Internet communications applications such as, for example, e-mail, instant-messaging, telephony (voice over IP, or VoIP), or e-commerce require users to exchange contact information prior to initiating communication or enabling commerce transactions between the users. To communicate via instant-messaging, for example, a first user is typically required to know the “screen name” of an intended recipient. Exceptions to this include community-based or topic-oriented applications, such as newsgroups, chat boards, membership websites, or hobby websites, where communication amongst users may be controlled by the particular application. On the Internet, users who do not know one another, but who may have reason to communicate, may be limited by two main factors: 1) the availability of contact information for those with whom they wish to communicate or exchange payment; and 2) the capabilities of an application (e.g., a website), such as whether the provider permits communication or the exchange of payment among users utilizing the application. As an example, users visiting the same web page have at least a common interest in the content of that page, yet they normally have no way of discovering this, nor do they have means for communicating with other users. To identify and/or communicate with users having similar interests, a user must know such persons in advance or rely on a facility provided by the application (i.e., the website).
These and other drawbacks exist with existing systems.